Soup Junkie

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When it comes to Asian, its hard to find anything that's authentic in the FiDi/SOMA area.  Soup Junkie seemed like a promising lunch (only open M-F for lunch) with hot soups, fresh ingredients, and a close walk from work.  Its recommended to call in an order since this tiny Vietnamese spot is so popular.  Besides the usual banh mi, Soup Junkie serves up soups, obviously.  I have to give them some respect for trying to bring something other than the usual Vietnamese pho to the mainstream. 

Bun Rieu at Soup Junkie-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

Bun rieu (aka #1 crab and tomato soup) is one of the less known, but very delicious Vietnamese soups.  I've noticed that this soup has had a rise in popularity as well as popping up on many Vietnamese menus all over the Bay Area.  Bun rieu is a tomato based soup topped with crab and usually egg droplets, noodles, various herbs.  If you've never had bun rieu before, I can see why Soup Junkie's version seems like you feel like you've unearthed a new delicious item in Vietnamese cuisine, but its nothing like real bun rieu.  More like bun rieu 101.  Soup Junkie's version is very mild with a fragrant smell of crab, but no crab meat.  The broth has a slight tomato taste.  The noodles are fresh and chewy.  Instead of a flurry of fluffy egg droplets, a huge egg omelet sits at the bottom of the bowl waiting for you to tear it up and mix with the soup.  Overall, its a satisfactory lunch option, especially when you are looking for something light and relatively healthy to warm you up, but its far from a real tasting bun rieu.  It has no complexity to the broth at all.  Bun rieus are hearty with lots of shredded crab, like Kim Son's authentic version (see post HERE). 

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

      

Address:                  Soup Junkie
                                 388 Market St.
                                 San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                       Vietnamese/soup

Popular chomps:     crab and tomato soup (#1) - bun rieu
                                 banh mi
                                 chicken porridge  

Chomp worthy:        nothing